Small form factor hard disk drive bracket latch/release mechanism

ABSTRACT

A hard disk drive bracket latch and release mechanism includes a lever arm attached to a hard disk drive bracket bezel rotatably between a closed position against the bezel and an open position apart from the bezel, and a locking mechanism including a wireform disposed in a release button. The lever arm includes a slotted end and spring. The wireform translates between a forced releasing position when the release button is depressed and a natural latching position otherwise. The wireform is shaped to bias the release button outward. The wireform fits into the slotted end of the lever arm in the latching position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/789,611 filed Apr. 25, 2007, entitled“Auto-Depress Disk Drive Bracket Mechanism” with the same inventors andhaving common ownership.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Hard disk drive brackets come in many shapes and forms. Most of today'sbrackets are designed to accommodate standard 3.5″ drives. Examples ofhard disk drives brackets abound. Some examples of the hard disk drivebrackets utilized in past products developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.are shown in FIGS. 1-3 and described below.

FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b) show a 3.5″ Hard Disk Drive (HDD) 911 bracketreferred to as “SPUD” in closed and open positions, respectively. In the“SPUD,” a spring 913 is utilized to bias the door 915 outward, and has aside actuated latch release 917.

FIGS. 2( a) and 2(b) show a 3.5″ HDD bracket 921 referred to as “SPUD 3”in closed and open positions, respectively. In the “SPUD 3,” aside-sliding latch release 927 and lever-arm spring 923 are included inorder to swing the door 925 outward.

FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) show a 3.5″ HDD bracket 931 used in, for example, a“Sun Fire V20z” server. In this bracket 931, the release latch 937 isstill a side action, but has been integrated into the lever arm 935.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a hard disk drivebracket comprises a bezel, a lever arm attached to the bezel rotatablybetween a closed position against the bezel and an open position apartfrom the bezel, a release mechanism attached to the bezel comprising alocking member that latches the lever arm in the closed position and arelease button arranged to unlatch the lever arm from the locking memberwhen the release button is depressed, and a horn attached to the bezeltranslatably between a natural position apart from the release mechanismand a forced position that allows the horn and release mechanism tointeract to free the locking member from the path of the lever arm.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b) show a “SPUD” 3.5″ HDD bracket.

FIGS. 2( a) and 2(b) show a “SPUD 3” 3.5″ HDD bracket.

FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) show a 3.5″ HDD bracket used in, for example, a“Sun Fire V20z” server.

FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b) show front views of a HDD bracket in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5( a), 5(b), and 5(c) show top views from inside of a HDD bracketin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a unitarily formed release button, horn, and pivot inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7( a), 7(b), and 7(c) show top views from inside of a HDD bracketin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a top view from inside of a HDD bracket in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

New generations of server platforms incorporate small form factor (SFF)2.5″ hard disk drives. Therefore, in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention, a new 2.5″ hard disk drive (HDD)bracket was developed to serve as a common drive bracket for futureproduct platforms incorporating swappable, 2.5″ hard disk drives.Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the drawings.

In order to support a multitude of HDD mounting applications acrossdifferent products, the mechanical packaging requirements of the bracketare very constrained. In particular, because of the requirements forwidth and depth dimensions (e.g., for standard 78 mm×115 mm dimensions),little room is left for the bezel, mounting rails, and latch/releasemechanism. In an application with such dimensions, only 8 mm ofpackaging depth is allowed at the front of the bracket for the frontbezel, lever/locking arm, push button release, and latch. Accordingly,one or more embodiments of the present invention provide a bracket witha unique, low profile, low cost, and robust mechanism with parts thatare resilient to manufacturing variations.

Referring to FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b), a front facing view of a HDD bracket100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. TheHDD bracket 100 has a front bezel 101, on which lever arm 200, releasemechanism 300, and horn 400 are disposed. FIG. 4( b) shows the lever arm200 in the latched (“closed”) position. To operate the HDD bracket 100,the user presses the release mechanism 300 and the lever arm 200releases and automatically springs outward into the unlatched (“open”)position as in 4(a). The user then inserts or removes a hard disk drivefrom the bracket and then closes the lever arm 200 to lock the hard diskdrive in place.

FIG. 5( a) shows a HDD bracket from the top view inside the bezel 101with the lever arm 200 in the unlatched position. In the unlatchedposition the lever arm 200 is rotated apart from the bezel 101, therelease mechanism 300, and the horn 400. The spring 201 biases the leverarm 200 to the unlatched position. The release button 302 is biasedoutward by the locking member 301 when the lever arm 200 is in theunlatched position. The horn 400 is in the horn's natural position anddoes not interact with any other elements when the lever arm 200 is inthe unlatched position.

FIG. 5( b) shows a HDD bracket from the top view inside the bezel 101 asthe lever arm 200 is rotating between the open and closed positions.Specifically, FIG. 5( b) shows a HDD bracket as a protrusion 202 fromthe lever arm 200 makes contact with the horn 400. In one or moreembodiments, the distance from the slotted end 203 to the protrusion 202is around 27 mm. The horn 400 is a mechanism attached to the bezel 101translatably between the horn's natural position as shown in FIG. 5( a)and the horn's forced position shown in FIG. 5( b). The contact betweenthe lever arm 200 and the horn 400 shown in FIG. 5( b) forces the hornto move from the horn's natural position to the horn's forced position.The horn comprises a cavity 401 and a pivot 402. The cavity 401 servesthe purpose of allowing contact between the horn 400 and the protrusion202 from the lever arm 200, thereby converting the force of closing thelever arm 200 into movement of the horn 400 from the horn's naturalposition to the horn's forced position. Thus, the combination of thelever arm 200, protrusion 202, cavity 401, and horn 400 serve as a camto translate motion of the lever arm 200 into motion of the horn 400.The pivot 402 is adapted to attach the horn 400 to the bezel 101 so asto allow motion of the horn 400 between the horn's forced and naturalpositions.

FIG. 5( b) shows the interaction between the horn 400 and the releasemechanism 300 in addition to the contact between the horn 400 and thelever arm 200. As the horn 400 is forced from the horn's naturalposition to the horn's forced position as the lever arm 200 is closing,the horn 400 interacts with the release mechanism 300 to automaticallydepress the release button 302. FIG. 5( b) shows horn 400 in the horn'sforced position, thereby making contact with the release mechanism 300and depressing the release button 302. The purpose of depressing therelease button 302 during the closing of the lever arm 200 is to clearthe locking member 301 from the path of the lever arm 200. Clearing thelocking member 301 from the path of the lever arm 200 allows for smoothand consistent operation of a HDD 100.

FIG. 5( c) shows a HDD bracket from the top view inside the bezel 101when the lever arm 200 is in the latched position. When the lever arm200 is in the latched position, the shapes of the cavity 401 (as shownin FIG. 5( b)) and protrusion 202 allow the horn 400 to return to thehorn's natural position in which the horn 400 does not interact with therelease mechanism 300. Thus, the release button 302 is again biasedoutward, and the locking member 301 impedes the path of the lever arm200. In the latched position, the locking member 301 is captured by theslotted end 203 of the lever arm 200, thereby securing the lever arm 200closed. In addition to allowing the horn 400 to return to the horn'snatural position, the shapes of the cavity 401 (as shown in FIG. 5( b))and protrusion 202 also help to secure the lever arm 200 in the closedposition. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, theinteraction between the horn's cavity 401 (as shown in FIG. 5( b)) andthe lever arm's protrusion may serve as the locking member 301, thuseliminating the need for a separate embodiment of the locking member.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the releasemechanism may be a unitarily formed body comprising the release button,horn, and pivot. FIG. 6 shows one such embodiment of the releasemechanism 300. FIGS. 7( a), 7(b), and 7(c) show the unitarily formedbody in relation to the other features of the invention. Advantages ofthis embodiment include further reduction of part count in the inventionas a whole and more reliable operation of the invention.

In an embodiment according to FIGS. 7( a), 7(b), and 7(c), a unitarilyformed body 500 has a natural and forced position based on theinteraction with the locking member 301. The natural position is upwardand the button end of the unitarily formed body is biased outwards,while the locking member is biased to impede the path of the lever arm.The locking member comprises a wireform shaped such that in its naturalposition the unitarily formed body is biased upward by the wireform.When the lever arm is in the unlatched position, the locking member andunitarily formed body are in the natural position, and the lockingmember supplies a biasing force that resists movement in the unitarilyformed body. The biasing force supplied by the locking member alsosupplies the force necessary to keep the lever arm from opening past itsmaximal position.

FIG. 7( a) shows a HDD bracket 100 with a unitarily formed body 500comprising the release button 502, horn 503, and pivot 504 from the topview inside the bezel 101 when the lever arm 200 is in the unlatchedposition. In the unlatched position the lever arm is rotated apart fromthe bezel and the unitarily formed body. A spring 201 disposed in thelever arm and attached to the bezel biases the lever arm to theunlatched position. The lever arm further comprises a positive stop arm204 extending from the pivot end of the lever arm. The positive stop armprevents the lever arm from opening past a maximal position by makingcontact with the pivot end of the unitarily formed body at the maximalposition. Advantageously, if the lever arm is rotated past said maximalposition, the contact between the positive stop arm and unitarily formedbody will force the body to rotate downward, thereby depressing therelease button end of the body. Thus, if the lever arm is forced pastits maximal position, there is visual and tactile feedback to warn theuser that the lever arm has traveled too far.

FIG. 7( b) shows a HDD bracket 100 from the top view inside the bezel101 as the lever arm 200 is rotating between the open and closedpositions. Specifically, FIG. 7( b) shows the bracket as a protrusion202 from the lever arm makes contact with an edge of a cavity 501 formedin the unitarily formed body.

As the lever arm 200 is closing, the protrusion 202 that extends fromthe lever arm makes contact with an edge of a cavity 501 in theunitarily formed body 500. The contact between the protrusion and theedge of the cavity forces the unitarily formed body to pivot downward,which depresses the button end of the body and forces the lockingmechanism 301 to clear from the path of the lever arm. Clearing thelocking member from the path of the lever arm allows for smooth andconsistent operation of a HDD bracket 100.

When opening the lever arm 200, the user depresses the button end of theunitarily formed body 500, thereby clearing the locking mechanism 301from the path of the lever arm. Additionally, depressing the unitarilyformed body clears the protrusion 202 from the edge of the cavity 501,allowing the lever arm to open freely. Generally, the spring 201disposed at the pivot of the lever arm forces the arm to openautomatically once its path is free from obstruction. Occasionally, thespring may not provide enough force to swing the lever arm open. Insituations where the spring does not supply enough force to open thelever arm, and the user can not fit a finger between the lever arm andbezel 101, the button end of the unitarily formed body may be forcefullypressed in order to free the lever arm. In this case, force istransferred from the button end to the pivot end of the unitarily formedbody, where the body makes contact with the lever arm near the pivotpoint of the lever arm.

FIG. 7( c) shows a HDD bracket with a unitarily formed body 500comprising a release button 502, horn 503, and pivot 504 from the topview inside the bezel 101 when the lever arm 200 is in the latchedposition. When the lever arm is in the latched position, the shapes ofthe cavity 501 (as shown in FIG. 7( b)) and protrusion 202 allow theunitarily formed body to return to the body's natural upward position.In this position, the release button end of the body is again biasedoutward, and the locking member 301 impedes the path of the lever arm.In the latched position, the locking member is captured by the slottedend 203 of the lever arm 200, thereby securing the lever arm closed. Inaddition to allowing the unitarily formed body to return to the body'soutward position, the shapes of the cavity and protrusion also help tosecure the lever arm in the closed position.

FIG. 8 shows a ledge 205 that may be disposed as an extension from thepivot end of the lever arm 200 to give an additional mechanicaladvantage for ejection of the HDD bracket 100. Upon opening, the ledgeaids ejection by gaining leverage from a side wall adjacent to the HDDbracket. The end of the ledge 205 catches on the top or side of the sidewall 600, thereby forcing the entire bracket outward to the user as thelever arm opens. This allows the user to use less force when removingthe bracket, which may prevent damage from the user pulling on the leverarm to remove the bracket.

One or more embodiments of the present invention may include one or moreof the following advantages: more secure retention of the lever arm 200;the mechanism is entirely internal, low profile, and does not impedeairflow; the mechanism has a low part count and therefore low cost; theuser-interface is intuitive and equivalent to what users are used to;the mechanism allows for smooth and consistent operation of the bracket;and the design of the mechanism is robust to manufacturing variation andinconsistencies despite the small size of HDD brackets.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of thisdisclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised whichdo not depart from the scope of this invention as disclosed herein.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by theattached claims.

1. A hard disk drive bracket latch and release mechanism, comprising: alever arm attached to a hard disk drive bracket bezel rotatably betweena closed position against the bezel and an open position apart from thebezel, wherein the lever arm comprises a slotted end and a springattached to the bezel; a locking mechanism comprising a wireformdisposed in a release button, wherein: the wireform translates between aforced releasing position when the release button is depressed and anatural latching position otherwise; the wireform is shaped to bias therelease button outward; and in the latching position, the wireform fitsinto the slotted end of the lever arm, thereby latching the lever armclosed if the lever arm is in the closed position.
 2. The hard diskdrive bracket latch and release mechanism according to claim 1, furthercomprising a horn attached to the bezel translatably between a naturalposition apart from the release mechanism and a forced position thatallows the horn and locking mechanism to interact to unlatch the leverarm from the locking member.
 3. The hard disk drive bracket latch andrelease mechanism of claim 2, wherein the lever arm and horn are adaptedto function as a cam that converts motion of the lever arm to motion ofthe horn, thereby allowing the horn to interact with the releasemechanism, depressing the release button.
 4. The hard disk drive bracketlatch and release mechanism of claim 3, wherein the lever arm has one ormore protrusions that make contact with the horn during rotationalmotion of the lever arm.
 5. The hard disk drive bracket latch andrelease mechanism of claim 4, wherein the horn has one or more cavitiesdesigned to receive the protrusions from the lever arm.
 6. The hard diskdrive bracket latch and release mechanism of claim 5, wherein thecavities in the horn and the protrusions from the lever arm secure thelever arm shut, thereby effectively serving as the locking member. 7.The hard disk drive bracket latch and release mechanism of claim 2,wherein the release mechanism is a single, unitarily formed bodycomprising the release button, horn, and pivot.
 8. The hard disk drivebracket latch and release mechanism according to claim 1, furthercomprising: an extension from the lever arm on the pivoting end; and aunitarily formed body rotatably attached to the bezel between a naturalposition and a forced position, and includes the locking member and anend arranged to function as the release button.
 9. The hard disk drivebracket latch and release mechanism according to claim 8, wherein theextension from the pivoting end of the lever arm functions as a positivestop which prevents the lever arm from traveling past a maximum openposition.
 10. The hard disk drive bracket latch and release mechanismaccording to claim 9, wherein the positive stop forces the releasebutton end of the unitarily formed body to depress if the lever armrotates past the maximum open position.
 11. The hard disk drive bracketlatch and release mechanism according to claim 8, wherein depressing therelease button end of the unitarily formed body supplies an openingforce on the lever arm.
 12. The hard disk drive bracket latch andrelease mechanism according to claim 8, wherein: the lever arm furthercomprises a ledge extending from the pivoting end of the lever arm;wherein upon release of the lever arm from the closed position, theledge makes contact with a side wall disposed next to the hard diskdrive bracket; and wherein the contact with the side wall createsleverage, thereby translating the rotational force of the opening leverarm into outward motion of the entire hard disk drive bracket.